Shelf assembly for a domestic cooling appliance

ABSTRACT

A domestic cooling appliance includes a cabinet having a set of inner walls defining a cooling space, and a shelf assembly provided in the cooling space. The shelf assembly includes a shelf panel and a pair of left and right metal support brackets disposed adjacent one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelf panel and extend between front and rear edges of the shelf panel. Each support bracket includes at least one mounting member for mounting the support bracket to an inner rear wall of the cabinet and one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of support brackets where at least a first coupling member of the one or more coupling members is designed as an elongated U-shaped metal profile defining only a first pocket for engaging the shelf panel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a shelf assembly and adomestic cooling appliance equipped with such a shelf assembly.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A domestic cooling appliance such as, e.g., a refrigerator or a freezer,has an interior cooling space destined for accommodating foodstuffs. Thefoodstuffs may be placed on one or more shelf panels (shelf boards)arranged in the cooling space. Some conventional shelf panels are madeof a transparent material, e.g., a glass or plastics material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a shelf assembly thatprovides robustness and can be assembled with ease. Another object ofthe present disclosure is to provide a domestic cooling applianceequipped with a shelf assembly.

To achieve one or more of the above objects, embodiments of the presentdisclosure provide a shelf assembly having a shelf panel with a frontedge, a rear edge and a pair of lateral edges extending between thefront and rear edges; a pair of left and right support brackets eachdisposed adjacent a respective one of the lateral edges of the shelfpanel, each support bracket including at least one mounting member formounting the support bracket to a rear wall structure; and one or morecoupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair of supportbrackets, at least one of the one or more coupling members beingconfigured with a first pocket, wherein the shelf panel engages thefirst pocket.

In one embodiment, the at least one or more coupling members has atleast a first coupling member designed as an elongated U-shaped metalprofile defining only a first pocket where the shelf panel engages thefirst pocket.

In another embodiment, the first coupling member is fixedly attached toan upper edge of a first support bracket of the pair of left and rightmetal support brackets by a weld connection.

In certain embodiments, the shelf panel is clamped between opposite sidesurfaces of the first pocket.

In certain embodiments, the shelf panel is fixated in the first pocketby an adhesive. At least a portion of the adhesive may be providedbetween an upper surface of the shelf panel and an adjacent side surfaceof the first pocket.

In certain embodiments, the U-shaped metal profile includes a shorterprofile leg and a pair of opposite longer profile legs. Each of the pairof opposite longer profile legs has a first leg end and an oppositesecond leg end. The pair of opposite longer profile legs are connectedto each other at the first leg end by the shorter profile leg where thefirst coupling member is clamped between the pair of opposite longerprofile legs. The pair of opposite longer profile legs define abottleneck at a location distanced from the second leg end of each ofthe pair of opposite longer profile legs.

In certain embodiments, one of the pair of opposite longer profile legsis arcuate or has an arcuate portion.

In certain embodiments, one of the pair of opposite longer profile legsis straight.

In certain embodiments, the U-shaped metal profile includes a shorterprofile leg and a pair of opposite longer profile legs. Each of the pairof opposite longer profile legs has a first leg end and an oppositesecond leg end. The pair of opposite longer profile legs are connectedto each other at the first leg end by the shorter profile leg where theweld connection is established at the first leg end of one of the pairof opposite longer profile legs.

In certain embodiments, at least one of the first support bracket andthe U-shaped metal profile is made of sheet metal.

In certain embodiments, the U-shaped metal profile is a bent sheet metalpart.

In certain embodiments, the U-shaped metal profile and the first supportbracket are made of the same metal material.

In certain embodiments, the metal material of the U-shaped metal profileand the first support bracket is one of aluminum, pig iron and low-alloysteel.

In certain embodiments, the U-shaped metal profile and the first supportbracket are each provided with a coating layer where a material of thecoating layer is the same for the U-shaped metal profile and the firstsupport bracket.

In certain embodiments, the coating layer is one of a powder coatinglayer and an anodic coating layer.

In certain embodiments, the shelf panel is held in the first pocketwithout using an adhesive.

In certain embodiments, the weld connection includes a plurality ofwelding spots formed in a mutually spaced manner along a direction oflongitudinal extension of the U-shaped metal profile.

In certain embodiments, the first coupling member is mounted to extendalongside one of the lateral edges of the shelf panel.

In certain embodiments, the at least one of the one or more couplingmembers is further configured with a second pocket, wherein one of thepair of support brackets engages the second pocket. The first and secondpockets may extend in mutually orthogonal planes. The one of the pair ofsupport brackets may be at least one of: clamped between opposite sidesurfaces of the second pocket, and fixated in the second pocket by anadhesive.

In certain embodiments, the at least one of the one or more couplingmembers is fixedly attached to one of the pair of support brackets by aweld or solder connection.

In certain embodiments, the at least one of the one or more couplingmembers is designed as an elongated profile member mounted to extendalongside the rear edge of the shelf panel.

In certain embodiments, the profile member has opposite longitudinal endportions each connected to one of the pair of support brackets by a boltconnection.

In certain embodiments, the at least one of the one or more couplingmembers is designed as an elongated profile member mounted to extendalongside one of the lateral edges of the shelf panel.

In certain embodiments, the at least one of the one or more couplingmembers is disposed in a corner region of the shelf panel, wherein aportion of the rear edge and a portion of one of the lateral edges ofthe shelf panel extend into the first pocket.

In certain embodiments, the first pocket has a general U-shape incross-section and the shelf panel extends into the first pocketsubstantially as far as a bottom area of the first pocket.

In certain embodiments, the second pocket has a general U-shape incross-section and the one of the pair of support brackets extends intothe second pocket substantially as far as a bottom area of the secondpocket.

The present disclosure further provides a domestic cooling appliancecomprising: a cabinet having a set of inner walls defining a coolingspace, the set of inner walls including an inner rear wall; a doormounted to the cabinet to close the cooling space; and a shelf assemblyprovided in the cooling space, the shelf assembly comprising: a shelfpanel having a front edge, a rear edge and a pair of lateral edgesextending between the front and rear edges; a pair of left and rightsupport brackets each disposed adjacent a respective one of the pair oflateral edges of the shelf panel, each of the pair of left and rightsupport brackets includes at least one mounting member for mounting tothe inner rear wall; and one or more coupling members for coupling theshelf panel to the pair of left and right support brackets, at least afirst coupling member of the one or more coupling members being designedas an elongated U-shaped metal profile defining only a first pocket,wherein the shelf panel engages the first pocket. The first couplingmember is fixedly attached to an upper edge of a first support bracketof the pair of left and right metal support brackets by a weldconnection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically shows a domestic cooling appliance according to anembodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a shelf assembly including a coupling member according toan embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a coupling member according to another embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a coupling member according to another embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the coupling member of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 shows a coupling member according to another embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows a detail of the coupling member of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which depicts a schematic front view ofa domestic cooling appliance 10. Although exemplarily described by meansof the domestic cooling appliance 10, the present invention is notlimited thereto. Rather, a shelf assembly according to the presentinvention may be mounted to any suitable rear wall structure in domestichomes or any other desired locations. The domestic cooling appliance 10may particularly but not exclusively refer to a refrigerator or afreezer and may therefore be suitable to cool or freeze objects such asfood to a certain temperature. The domestic cooling appliance 10 has theform of a cabinet that includes a corpus 12, a bottom wall 14, a topwall 16, a rear wall 18 (also a rear wall structure 18) and a pair ofside walls 20. The corpus 12 is framed by the bottom wall 14, the topwall 16, the rear wall 18 and the pair of side walls 20, thereby formingan access opening 22. A user can access a cooling space 24 of thedomestic cooling appliance 10 through the access opening 22, which canbe closed by a cabinet door 26 that is mounted to one of the pair ofside walls 20.

The cooling space 24 of the domestic cooling appliance 10 may comprise aplurality of mounting parts suitable for the user to apply objects thatare supposed to be cooled or frozen. At least one of these mountingparts constitutes a shelf assembly 28 that comprises a shelf panel 30.The shelf panel 30 may be manufactured from glass or plastics or anyother suitable material. The material may be transparent or translucent.The shelf panel 30 may further include structures suited to obtain adesired light-deflecting effect. The shelf panel 30 may be fromsubstantially rectangular shape and has a front edge facing the accessopening 22, a rear edge facing the rear wall 18 and a pair of lateraledges extending between the front and rear edges, each of them facingone of the side walls 20. The shelf assembly 28 further comprises a pairof support brackets 32, each of them being disposed adjacent one of thelateral edges of the shelf panel 30. The support brackets 32 may befully or partially formed from any suitable conductive material as e.g.metal. The support brackets 32 may have, but are not limited to, acantilever design. In FIG. 1, only one of the pair of support brackets32 is shown by a dashed line. Each of the support brackets 32 includesat least one mounting member (not shown), e.g. a reinforced hook or anyother suitable structure for mounting the support brackets 32 tomounting structures (not shown) of the rear wall 18 of the domesticcooling appliance 10. The domestic cooling appliance 10 of FIG. 1further comprises at least one additional shelf panel 34 suitable forthe user to apply objects such as food. Although not shown, the shelfpanel 34 may be a part of a shelf assembly that is identically formed tothe shelf assembly 28.

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary shelf assembly 28 according to an embodimentof the present invention. The shelf assembly comprises a shelf panel 30and a pair of support brackets 32 as described with reference to FIG. 1.Further, the shelf assembly comprises a coupling member 36 that isarranged to couple the shelf panel 30 to the pair of support brackets32. The coupling member 36 may be fully or partially manufactured fromplastic or metal or from any other suitable material. In the embodimentshown, the coupling member 36 is designed as an elongated profile memberand substantially extends alongside the rear edge of the shelf panel 30.According to FIG. 2, the coupling member 36 has opposite longitudinalend portions that are each connected to one of the pair of supportbrackets 32 by a bolt connection 38.

Although the shelf assembly 28 in FIG. 2 comprises a single couplingmember 36, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example,the shelf assembly 28 may also comprise two or more coupling members 36.Details of the one or more coupling members 36 according to the presentinvention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3-7. Therespective Figures show different variations of a coupling mechanismbetween the shelf panel 30 and the support brackets 32 as indicated inFIG. 2 by means of differently shaped and arranged coupling members 36.In the Figures, equal components or components of equal function aresupplied with the same reference signs, but may be discriminated bydifferent small letters appended to the respective reference signs.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the rear side of a shelf assembly 28a. The rear edge of the shelf panel 30 a is facing the rear wall 18 ofthe domestic cooling appliance 10 of FIG. 1. The same applies for FIGS.4 and 6.

As shown in FIG. 3, the coupling member 36 a is designed as an elongatedprofile member that is mounted to extend alongside one of the lateraledges of the shelf panel 30 a. The coupling member 36 a comprises afirst pocket 40 a configured to receive the shelf panel 30 a. Accordingto the embodiment, the first pocket 40 a has a general U-shape incross-section and comprises a pocket bottom and opposite side surfacesextending from the pocket bottom. The opposite side surfaces define apocket interior therebetween. In the following, a coupling mechanismbetween the shelf panel 30 a and the coupling member 36 a is described.The shelf panel 30 a extends into the first pocket 40 a substantially asfar as the pocket bottom. In an alternative embodiment, the shelf panel30 a may extend into the first pocket 40 a substantially as far as thehalf of a length of the opposite side surfaces of the first pocket 40 aor as far as two thirds of the length of said side surfaces. The shelfpanel 30 a may be clamped between the opposite side surfaces of thefirst pocket 40 a. In such an embodiment, the respective side surfacesof the first pocket 40 a apply an initial load that suffices to securelyhold the shelf panel 30 a therebetween in a stable manner. Additionallyor alternatively, the shelf panel 30 a may be fixated in the firstpocket 40 a by an adhesive, such as e.g. a resin. The adhesive may beapplied between an upper surface of the shelf panel 30 a and one of theside surfaces of the first pocket 40 a facing the upper surface of theshelf panel 30 a. From a predetermined amount of the adhesive, all orjust a part of it may be applied in the described manner. Alternativelyor additionally, the adhesive may be fully or partially applied betweenthe pocket bottom of the first pocket 40 a and the adjacent side edge ofthe shelf panel 30 a and/or between a lower surface of the shelf panel30 a and the side surface of the first pocket 40 a facing the lowersurface of the shelf panel 30 a.

As it is further illustrated in FIG. 3, the coupling member 36 acomprises a second pocket 42 a. Although the present invention is notlimited thereto, the second pocket 42 a extends in an orthogonal planewith respect to the first pocket 40 a. In an alternative embodiment, thefirst pocket 40 a and the second pocket 42 a may extend in mutuallydifferent, e.g. skew planes. The second pocket 42 a is configured toreceive one of the pair of support brackets 32 a. As depicted in FIG. 3,the second pocket 42 a has a general U-shape in cross-section andcomprises a pocket bottom and opposite side surfaces extending from thepocket bottom. The opposite side surfaces define a pocket interiortherebetween. In the following, a coupling mechanism between one of thepair of support brackets 32 a and the coupling member 36 a is described.Although not limiting, one of the pair of support brackets 32 a extendsinto the second pocket 42 a substantially as far as the pocket bottom.In an alternative embodiment, the one of the pair of support brackets 32a may extend into the second pocket 42 a substantially as far as thehalf of a length of the opposite side surfaces of the second pocket 42 aor as far as two thirds of the length of said side surfaces. The one ofthe pair of support brackets 32 a may be clamped between the sidesurfaces of the second pocket 42 a. In such an embodiment, therespective side surfaces of the second pocket 42 a apply an initial loadthat suffices to securely hold the one of the pair of support brackets32 a therebetween in a stable manner. Additionally or alternatively, theone of the pair of support brackets 32 a may be fixated in the firstpocket by an adhesive, such as e.g. a resin or a solder. The resin mayoptionally be applied between one of the side surfaces of the secondpocket 42 a or the pocket bottom of the second pocket 42 a and anadjacent surface or edge of the respective support bracket 32 a.Alternatively, the resin may be applied between both the two sidesurfaces as well as the pocket bottom of the second pocket 42 a and theadjacent surfaces and edge of the respective support bracket 32 a.

Turning now to FIG. 4, there is shown another example of a couplingmember 36 b of a shelf assembly 28 b. Similarly to the embodiment inFIG. 3, the coupling member 36 b is designed as an elongated profilemember that is mounted to extend alongside one of the lateral edges ofthe shelf panel 30 b. The coupling member 36 b comprises a first pocket40 b that may be configured substantially similar to the first pocket 40a of the embodiment of FIG. 3. Further, a coupling mechanism between thefirst pocket 40 b and the shelf panel 30 b may be configuredsubstantially similar to the coupling mechanism of the embodiment ofFIG. 3. The coupling member 36 b thus comprises the first pocket 40 b,which is configured to receive the shelf panel 30 b. The first pocket 40b has a general U-shape in cross-section and comprises a pocket bottomand opposite side surfaces extending from the pocket bottom. Theopposite side surfaces define a pocket interior therebetween. The shelfpanel 30 b extends into the first pocket 40 b substantially as far asthe pocket bottom. In an alternative embodiment, the shelf panel 30 bmay extend into the first pocket 40 b substantially as far as the halfof a length of the opposite side surfaces of the first pocket 40 b or asfar as two thirds of the length of said side surfaces. The shelf panel30 b may be clamped between the opposite side surfaces of the firstpocket 40 b. In such an embodiment, the side surfaces of the firstpocket 40 b apply a sufficient force to securely hold the shelf panel 30b therebetween in a stable manner. The shelf panel 30 b may beadditionally fixated in the first pocket 40 b by an adhesive, such ase.g. a resin. Adhesive may, e.g., be applied between an upper surface ofthe shelf panel 30 b and one of the side surfaces of the first pocket 40b facing the upper surface of the shelf panel 30 b. Alternatively oradditionally, adhesive may be applied between the pocket bottom of thefirst pocket 40 b and the adjacent side edge of the shelf panel 30 band/or between a lower surface of the shelf panel 30 b and the sidesurface of the first pocket 40 b facing the lower surface of the shelfpanel 30 b.

In FIG. 4, the opposite side surfaces of the first pocket 40 b whichdefine the pocket interior therebetween are inner surfaces of oppositelonger profile legs 41 a, 41 b of the elongate profile forming thecoupling member 36 b. The pocket bottom is delineated by a shorterprofile leg 41 c of the elongate profile forming the coupling member 36b. The shorter profile leg 41 c interconnects the longer profile legs 41a, 41 b, thereby defining the U-shaped first pocket 40 b. The longerprofile legs 41 a, 41 b extend from the shorter profile leg 41 c in adirection orthogonal or substantially orthogonal with respect to a planedefined by the pocket bottom. In the embodiment, the longer profile legs41 a, 41 b have a substantially equal length, while a length of theshorter profile leg 41 c is smaller than the length of the longerprofile legs 41 a, 41 b. For example, the length of the shorter profileleg 41 c may be one third or half the length of the longer profile legs41 a, 41 b. The longer profile legs 41 a, 41 b may have a thickness ofno more than 0.5 mm or no more than 1 mm or no more than 2 mm or no morethan 3 mm. The same may apply to the length of shorter profile leg 41 c.

In embodiments, the longer profile legs 41 a, 41 b may extend in astraight manner from the shorter profile leg 41 c of the first pocket 40b. Alternatively, longer profile leg 41 a, longer profile leg 41 b orboth longer profile legs 41 a, 41 b may extend in a curved or at leastarcuate manner from shorter profile leg 41 c of the first pocket 40 b.In the example of FIG. 4, longer profile leg 41 a extends in an arcuatemanner from shorter profile leg 41 c while longer profile leg 41 bextends in a straight manner from shorter profile leg 41 c. A curvatureof longer profile leg 41 a is shaped such that a distance between theinner surfaces, when viewed from the plane defined by the pocket bottomof the first pocket 40 b, decreases from the pocket bottom tosubstantially the middle of the first pocket 40 b and increases againfrom the middle of the first pocket 40 b to a top end of the firstpocket 40 b. Such arrangement of longer profile legs 41 a, 41 b of thefirst pocket 40 b defines a bottleneck therebetween, i.e. a narrow pointwithin the first pocket 40 b that supports the clamping of the shelfpanel 30 b between the opposite inner surfaces of longer profile legs 41a, 41 b. The curvature of longer profile leg 41 a is not limited to theone described above. It is further conceivable that the curvature oflonger profile leg 41 a is shaped such that the described bottleneck isdefined by the longer profile legs 41 a and 41 b at substantially onethird or two thirds of a pocket depth extending from the pocket bottomto the top end of the first pocket 40 b.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the coupling member 36 b is a bentcomponent made from metal like aluminum or steel, for example unalloyedsteel. The same material may be used for the pair of support brackets 32b. The coupling member 36 b may be made from a single sheet componentsuch as sheet metal. The pair of support brackets 32 b may be made froma single metal plate. Compared to FIG. 3, the embodiment in FIG. 4applies a different coupling mechanism between the coupling member 36 band one of the pair of support brackets 32 b. That is, instead ofcomprising a second pocket, one of the side surfaces of the first pocket40 b is configured to being fixedly attached to one of the pair ofsupport brackets 32 b. In particular, a surficial area of the firstpocket 40 b which is located at the opposite of a surficial area of thefirst pocket 40 b that is engaged with the shelf panel 30 b is formed toestablish a connection to an upper edge of the one of the pair ofsupport brackets 32 b. The pertaining surficial area of the first pocket40 b may, although the present disclosure is not limited thereto,comprise a straight form in an area of contact with the upper edge ofthe one of the pair of support brackets 32 b. In FIG. 4, the couplingmember 36 b as well as the support brackets 32 b may be formed frommetal, but are not limited thereto. The fixed connection between the oneof the side surfaces of the first pocket 40 b and the one of the pair ofsupport brackets 32 b is established by a weld or solder connection.When a weld connection is established, the connection may be establishedby spot-welding.

The coupling mechanism between the coupling member 36 b and one of thepair of support brackets 32 b when a weld connection is establishedbetween the one of the side surfaces of the first pocket 40 b and theone of the pair of support brackets 32 b will be described in moredetail below.

The side surfaces of the first pocket 40 b are defined by outer surfacesof the longer profile legs 41 a, 41 b of pocket 40 b. As shown in FIG.4, the outer surface of longer profile leg 41 a may be a curved surface.A curvature of the curved surface may be formed substantially similar tothe curvature of longer profile leg 41 a. For welding, the one of thepair of support brackets 32 b as well as the coupling member 32 b areheld and aligned with respect to each other utilizing clips or othersuited clamping means. Then, the one of the pair of support brackets 32b is welded to the curved outer surface of longer profile leg 41 asubstantially adjacent to the pocket bottom (i.e. in the area close toshorter profile leg 41 c) of the first pocket 40 b. The weld connectionmay be established by laser welding, but the invention is not limitedthereto. The application of resistance welding or other suited weldingtechnique is similarly conceivable.

In the embodiment, the weld between the first pocket 40 b and the one ofthe pair of support brackets 32 b is not a continuous weld (althoughsuch continuous weld is similarly conceivable). Rather, said weld maycomprise a plurality of weld sections arranged alongside an extendingdirection of coupling member 36 b. A distance between the respectiveweld sections may be between 2 cm and 15 cm and for example between 5 cmand 10 cm. A length of the respective weld sections may be between 2 mmand 15 mm and for example between 5 mm and 10 mm. Since the applicationof spot-welding is also conceivable to establish the weld betweencoupling member 36 b and the one of the pair of support brackets 32 b, aplurality of welding spots may be applied alongside the extendingdirection of coupling member 36 b in alternative to the plurality ofweld sections. A distance between the welding spots may be substantiallysimilar to the distance between the weld sections described above.

After the weld connection between the coupling member 36 b and one ofthe pair of support brackets 32 b is established, the coupling member 36b as well as the one of the pair of support brackets 32 b are coated ina single coating process. For the coating process, lacquer coating orpowder coating (the present invention is not limited thereto) is appliedto protect materials of the one of the pair of support brackets 32 b andthe coupling member 36 b from corrosion and/or oxidation.

A front trim (not shown in FIG. 4) made from plastic or metal may beapplied to cover and protect the front edge of the shelf panel 30 b. Asan optional component, an illumination module (not shown in FIG. 4) mayfurther be applied to the front edge of the shelf panel 30 b. Theillumination module may comprise a plurality of light emitting diodes orother suited illumination means. If applied, the illumination module isreceived within the front trim of the shelf panel 30 b.

The illumination module may be supplied with electrical energy from abusbar provided behind the rear wall 18 and within corpus 12 of thedomestic cooling appliance 10 (see FIG. 1). When the shelf assembly 28 bis mounted to the rear wall 18 of the domestic cooling appliance 10,current flows from the busbar into the one of the pair of supportbrackets 32 b. In a region adjacent the front edge of shelf panel 30 b(thus equally in a region of a front edge of the one of the pair ofsupport brackets 32 b that faces the access opening 22 of the domesticcooling appliance 10), the coating of the one of the pair of supportbrackets 32 b is removed, for example by way of die cutting or any othersuited technique so that the material of the one of the pair of supportbrackets 32 b is exposed to the outside in a relatively small region ofexposure. This region of exposure may be circular in shape and maycomprise a radius of around 1 mm or 2 mm or 4 mm or 8 mm. Alternatively,the region of exposure may be rectangular in shape an may comprise anedge length of around 1 mm or 2 mm or 4 mm or 8 mm. Other shapes andmeasures for the region of exposure are similarly conceivable. Anelectrical conductor may be coupled between the region of exposure andthe illumination module. That is, the electrical conductor directlycontacts the material of the one of the pair of support brackets 32 b inthe region of exposure and directly contacts a power input of theillumination module. At least the coupling between the electricalconductor and the region of exposure may be carried out in a gastightmanner. Accordingly, current flows, after entering the one of the pairof support brackets 32 b in a region near the rear wall of the domesticcooling appliance 10, through the one of the pair of support brackets 32b and via the electrical conductor into the illumination module toprovide the same with electrical energy. A return path for current flowfrom the illumination module to the busbar of the domestic coolingappliance 10 is configured in a similar manner via a second electricalconductor and the other one of the pair of support brackets 32 b.

A manufacturing process of a shelf assembly 28 b that comprises theillumination module is basically the same as a manufacturing process ofa shelf assembly 28 b not comprising the illumination module. That is,the above described coupling by welding between the coupling member 36 band the one of the pair of support brackets 32 b is identically carriedout in either case. For a shelf assembly 28 b that comprises theillumination module, creation of the region of exposure and applicationof the electrical conductor is additionally carried out. With that, itis possible to manufacture respective pairs of coupling members 36 b andsupport brackets 32 b for shelf assemblies with and without theillumination module within the same production line.

Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown another example of a couplingmember 36 c of a shelf assembly 28 c. In FIG. 5, there is provided aside view of the shelf assembly 28 of FIG. 2. In this embodiment, thecoupling member 36 c is designed as an elongated profile member thatsubstantially extends alongside the rear edge of the shelf panel 30 c.In this way, the lateral edges of the shelf panel may not be utilized toestablish a coupling between the shelf panel 30 c and the supportbrackets 32 c. The coupling member 36 c comprises a first pocket 40 cthat may be configured substantially similar to the first pockets 40 aand 40 b of the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively. Further, acoupling mechanism between the first pocket 40 c and the shelf panel 30c may be configured substantially similar to the coupling mechanismsbetween the first pockets 40 a, 40 b and the coupling members 36 a, 36 bof the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4. The coupling member 36 c hasopposite longitudinal end portions that are each configured to receiveat least one bolt element. The longitudinal end portions of the couplingmember 36 c may form end portions of a ridge extending alongside therear edge of the shelf panel 30 c and extending in an orthogonal planewith respect to a plane that comprises one of the opposite side surfacesof the first pocket 40 c. Further, each of the pair of support brackets32 c is, in an area adjacent to the coupling member 36 c (i.e. in thevicinity of the rear edge of the shelf panel 30 c), configured toreceive the at least one bolt element. As such, the longitudinal endportions of the coupling member 36 c are connected to the supportbrackets 32 c by a bolt connection 38. The bolt element may be a screw,a pin or any other suitable element.

Additionally, the shelf assembly 28 c may comprise second and thirdcoupling members (for better discrimination designated 44 in FIG. 5)that are mounted to corner regions of the shelf panel 30 c. Therespective corner regions in FIG. 5 are each constituted by the frontedge and one of the lateral edges of the shelf panel 30 c, but are notlimited thereto. The second and third coupling members 44 comprise afirst pocket (not shown) that is configured substantially similar to thefirst pocket 40 c of the coupling member 36 c. Further, a couplingmechanism between the first pockets of the coupling members 44 and theshelf panel 30 c may be configured substantially similar to the couplingmechanism between the first pocket 40 c and the shelf panel 30 c.However, the first pockets of the second and third coupling members 44are configured to receive a portion of the front edge as well as aportion of the lateral edge that constitute the respective corner regionof the shelf panel 30 c. The coupling members 44 extend just to a minorpart along the front edge and the respective lateral edge of the shelfpanel 30 c. To the most part, e.g. at least 95% or at least 90% or atleast 85% or at least 80% of the lateral edges of the shelf panel 30 cremain uncovered. This is particularly important since such a designallows a side-by-side positioning of two or more shelf assemblies 28 cin the cooling space 24 of the domestic cooling appliance 10. In suchway, it is possible to obtain a space-saving design and to allow theuser of the domestic cooling appliance 10 to conveniently slide objectsbetween the two or more shelf assemblies 28 c. The shelf assembly 28 cmay further comprise an elongate coverage profile that substantiallyextends alongside the front edge of the shelf panel 30 c and covers thesame. In some embodiments, the elongate coverage profile may beconfigured to house a light source, such as an LED-module, but is notlimited thereto. The elongate coverage profile has opposite longitudinalend portions that are each configured to receive at least one boltelement. Further, each of the pair of support brackets 32 c is, in anarea adjacent to the respective coupling members 44 (i.e. in thevicinity of the front edge of the shelf panel 30 c), configured toreceive the at least one bolt element. As such, the coupling members 44are connected to the elongate coverage profile by a bolt connection thatadditionally attaches the respective support brackets 32 c to theelongate coverage profile. The bolt element may be a screw, a pin or anyother suitable element.

As depicted in FIG. 5, the shelf panel 30 c has direct contact with thesupport brackets 32 c at least in the vicinity of the front and rearedges of the shelf panel 30 c. On the other hand, the shelf assembly 28c comprises a gap between the support brackets 32 c and the shelf panel30 c in a predominant area in a longitudinal direction of the lateraledges of the shelf panel 30 c. Alternatively, the shelf panel 30 c mayhave direct contact with the support brackets 32 c substantiallyalongside the lateral edges of the shelf panel 30 c.

Turning now to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is shown another example of acoupling member 36 d of a shelf assembly 28 d. In the embodiment shown,the shelf assembly 28 d comprises, but is not limited to, two couplingmembers 36 d. The coupling members 36 d each comprise a first pocket 40d and a second pocket 42 d that are substantially configured similar tothe first pocket 40 a and the second pocket 42 a of the embodiment ofFIG. 3. Further, a coupling mechanism between the first pocket 40 d andthe shelf panel 30 d as well as a coupling mechanism between the secondpocket 42 d and the support brackets 32 d may be configuredsubstantially similar to the respective coupling mechanisms of theembodiment of FIG. 3. Although not limiting, the second pocket 42 d inFIG. 7 extends in an orthogonal plane with respect to the first pocket40 d. In an alternative embodiment, the first pocket 40 d and the secondpocket 42 d may extend in mutually skew planes. The coupling members 36d comprise a substantially rectangular upper surface that is locatedopposite to a side surface of the first pocket 40 d that faces an uppersurface of the shelf panel 30 d. The coupling members 36 d are disposedin corner regions of the shelf panel 28 d, each receiving a portion ofthe rear edge and a portion of one of the lateral edges of the shelfpanel 30 d. As will be readily understood, the present invention is notlimited thereto. The coupling members 36 d may alternatively receiveportions of the front edge and portions of the lateral edges of theshelf panel 30 d. Similarly to the embodiment in FIG. 5, the couplingmembers 36 d extend just to a minor part along the rear edge and therespective corner-forming lateral edge of the shelf panel 30 d. To themost part, e.g. at least 95% or at least 90% or at least 85% or at least80% of the lateral edges and the rear edge of the shelf panel 30 dremain uncovered. This is particularly important since such a designallows a side-by-side positioning of two or more shelf assemblies 28 din the cooling space 24 of the domestic cooling appliance 10. In suchway, it is possible to obtain a space-saving design and to allow theuser of the domestic cooling appliance 10 to conveniently slide objectsbetween the two or more shelf assemblies 28 d. Further, the shelf panel30 d is in direct contact with the support brackets 32 d at least in thevicinity of the front and rear edges of the shelf panel 30 d. On theother hand, the shelf assembly 28 d comprises a gap between the supportbrackets 32 d and the shelf panel 30 d in a predominant area in alongitudinal direction of the lateral edges of the shelf panel 30 d.Alternatively, the shelf panel 30 c may have direct contact with thesupport brackets 32 c substantially alongside the lateral edges of theshelf panel 30 c.

The embodiments disclosed herein describe variations of differentcoupling members and mechanisms between shelf panels and supportbrackets of shelf assemblies mounted into e.g. a domestic coolingappliance. The embodiments serve to optimize available space on theshelf panel and to enable a side-by-side positioning of two or moreshelf assemblies under provision of a smooth transition between therespective shelf panels of the shelf assemblies. Further, all of thedisclosed variations provide stable designs of shelf assemblies for theuser to conveniently place, slide and take out objects such as food fromthe domestic cooling appliance.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Furthermodification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to thoseskilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed tobe within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shelf assembly comprising: a shelf panel havinga front edge, a rear edge and a pair of lateral edges extending betweenthe front edge and the rear edge; a pair of left and right metal supportbrackets each disposed adjacent a respective one of the pair of lateraledges of the shelf panel, each support bracket including at least onemounting member for mounting the support bracket to a rear wallstructure; and one or more coupling members for coupling the shelf panelto the pair of left and right support brackets, at least a firstcoupling member of the one or more coupling members being designed as anelongated U-shaped metal profile defining only a first pocket, whereinthe shelf panel engages the first pocket, wherein the first couplingmember is fixedly attached to an upper edge of a first support bracketof the pair of left and right metal support brackets by a weldconnection.
 2. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the shelf panel isclamped between opposite side surfaces of the first pocket.
 3. The shelfassembly of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped metal profile includes ashorter profile leg and a pair of opposite longer profile legs, each ofthe pair of opposite longer profile legs having a first leg end and anopposite second leg end, the pair of opposite longer profile legs beingconnected to each other at the first leg end by the shorter profile leg,wherein the first coupling member is clamped between the pair ofopposite longer profile legs and the pair of opposite longer profilelegs define a bottleneck at a location distanced from the second leg endof each of the pair of opposite longer profile legs.
 4. The shelfassembly of claim 3, wherein at least one of the pair of opposite longerprofile legs is arcuate or has an arcuate portion.
 5. The shelf assemblyof claim 3, wherein one of the pair of opposite longer profile legs isstraight.
 6. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped metalprofile includes a shorter profile leg and a pair of opposite longerprofile legs, each of the pair of opposite longer profile legs having afirst leg end and an opposite second leg end, the pair of oppositelonger profile legs being connected to each other at the first leg endby the shorter profile leg, wherein the weld connection is establishedat the first leg end of one of the pair of opposite longer profile legs.7. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the firstsupport bracket and the U-shaped metal profile is made of sheet metal.8. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped metal profile isa bent sheet metal part.
 9. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein theU-shaped metal profile and the first support bracket are made of thesame metal material.
 10. The shelf assembly of claim 9, wherein themetal material of the U-shaped metal profile and the first supportbracket is one of aluminum, pig iron and low-alloy steel.
 11. The shelfassembly of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped metal profile and the firstsupport bracket are each provided with a coating layer, wherein amaterial of the coating layer is the same for the U-shaped metal profileand the first support bracket.
 12. The shelf assembly of claim 11,wherein the coating layer is one of a powder coating layer and an anodiccoating layer.
 13. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the shelfpanel is held in the first pocket without using an adhesive.
 14. Theshelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the weld connection includes aplurality of welding spots formed in a mutually spaced manner along adirection of longitudinal extension of the U-shaped metal profile. 15.The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the first coupling member ismounted to extend alongside one of the lateral edges of the shelf panel.16. The shelf assembly of claim 1, wherein the first pocket has ageneral U-shape in cross-section and the shelf panel extends into thefirst pocket substantially as far as a bottom area of the first pocket.17. A domestic cooling appliance comprising: a cabinet having a set ofinner walls defining a cooling space, the set of inner walls includingan inner rear wall; a door mounted to the cabinet to close the coolingspace; and a shelf assembly provided in the cooling space, the shelfassembly comprising: a shelf panel having a front edge, a rear edge anda pair of lateral edges extending between the front edge and the rearedge; a pair of left and right metal support brackets each disposedadjacent a respective one of the pair of lateral edges of the shelfpanel, each of the pair of left and right support brackets includes atleast one mounting member for mounting to the inner rear wall; and oneor more coupling members for coupling the shelf panel to the pair ofleft and right support brackets, at least a first coupling member of theone or more coupling members being designed as an elongated U-shapedmetal profile defining only a first pocket, wherein the shelf panelengages the first pocket, wherein the first coupling member is fixedlyattached to an upper edge of a first support bracket of the pair of leftand right metal support brackets by a weld connection.